


Partnered

by Kristinabird



Series: Drarryland 2019 [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Auror Draco Malfoy, Auror Harry Potter, Auror Partners, Based on a true story (sort of), M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 20:10:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18667522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kristinabird/pseuds/Kristinabird
Summary: Aurors Malfoy and Potter are both eager to impress when a promotion becomes available in the department, but first, they have to survive being partnered together to capture an illegal potions dealer.





	Partnered

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Drarryland/Game of Drarry Fest 2019.
> 
> Harry and Draco are in the running for the same job/position but must work together on a case/project before a decision is made on who gets the promotion. Minimum: 444 words - Maximum: 1404 words. 
> 
> Thanks to [](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes/pseuds/DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes)[Dr.WhoIsGinnyHolmes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes/pseuds/DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes)! for helping me to cut it down and as always to the amazing [](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andithiel/pseuds/Andithiel)[Andithiel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andithiel/pseuds/Andithiel)!!

“I’m sorry sir, I’m afraid I must have misheard you.” Draco said, staring aghast at Head Auror Robards.

“He said, that you and Harry—“

“YES Dennis, I got that part!” Draco snapped at the clumsy junior auror. Dennis Creevey meant well, but honestly Draco had no idea how he had made it through auror training. Clearly, nobody else did either, hence his current position as Robards’ assistant. An assignment that irritated Robards and amused Draco endlessly. 

“What I don’t understand,”Draco continued, “is _why_ you want us to work together on this assignment?”

“With the new influx of erisedicine on the streets, it is imperative that we catch this wizard that calls himself “Oz”.

Potter began sniggering to himself. 

“Can I help you Mr. Potter?”

“Sorry, it’s funny. Muggle thing...nevermind…” He said attempting to compose himself.

“Thank you. Now, as you know this potion is highly addictive and dangerous. Stopping this individual is our highest priority. As you two are our best aurors, it seems appropriate to put you together on this.”

“Yes sir.” 

“Alright then, I expect you to _work together_ , I know you both have your eye on the position opening up as Head of Homicide, this assignment could have a big impact on my decision.”

************

It had been several weeks since they were assigned the case, and Harry had to admit that Malfoy wasn’t all that bad. The years had mellowed him. He was still sharp tongued and sarcastic, but mostly funny, He always seemed to express exactly what Harry felt but didn’t say aloud. 

Harry was beginning to find himself drawn to the man, particularly when they were leaning close together examining documents, or laughing over lunch. Sometimes he thought he could feel Draco watching him out of the corner of his eye and he definitely felt it when occasionally their fingers lingered over each other when they passed a file or quill back and forth.  
“Excuse me!” squeaked Dennis from the doorway, “Auror Robards has a few new reports for you to look over!”

“Excellent.” Draco said holding out his hand expectantly. Dennis just stared. “Well? Where are they?”

“In a file sir!”

Draco pinched the bridge of his nose, “And where is the file Creevey?”

“On my desk!” 

Draco stared at him with raised eyebrows waiting for the boy to catch up.

“Oh! I’ll go get them!” 

“Yes. Thank you Dennis.” Draco sighed as Dennis scurried out the door. “Do you think when he fell in the lake as a first year, his brain got water logged?”

Harry burst out laughing as he looked back to the arrest records for erisedicine addicts. Slowly, he began to cross-reference the locations of arrests and something clicked! There was a pattern here. It could possibly lead to the locations Oz used as points for exchanging the potions. Brilliant! If he could get enough surveillance in those areas maybe he could identify the suspect and lead him into a trap. 

Draco, turned to look at him. “What?”

“Oh...nothing.”

Just because he was beginning to like Draco didn’t mean he had to share everything with him. If he could make this arrest on his own he’d have that promotion in the bag. He could think of plenty of fun ways to try to make it up to Draco later, right now he had to focus on Oz, and he had a plan…

************

It had been several days since Dennis had brought the new reports on Oz and Draco had barely seen Harry. Harry was usually so dedicated, and Draco had to admit, he was beginning to miss having him around. Maybe he was just imagining it, but it actually seemed like maybe Harry was interested in...No, even if Draco did fancy him, there was no way it was reciprocated. He needed to focus on Oz. In Harry’s absence he’d begun to piece some things together. Oz had been obliviating all of his contacts to keep his identity secure, but Draco had broken through the spellwork and discovered a treasure trove of information. 

He felt a little guilty not bringing Harry in on it, but it wasn’t his fault Harry wasn’t around. Besides, he was going to get this promotion if it was the last thing he did. In the past week he’d been doing some undercover work disguised as a potential buyer. He’d managed to use his old knowledge of the criminal underworld to make connections with the right people, and this morning he’d gotten a note that read, “ _Tonight, same amount for the regular price. _”. With any luck the whole case would be wrapped up by morning, he’d be the new Head of Homicide and maybe he could take Harry out for a consolation breakfast.__

____

__************_ _

__  


__“So, you’re here about the package?_ _

__“Yeah.”_ _

__“Alright, let’s get this over with.”_ _

__As the men exchanged bags they felt the distinctive tug behind their navels and the dizzying swirl of a portkey pulling them up and dropping them hard on Robards’ office floor._ _

____

__************_ _

__  


__“ _Expelliarmus_ ” shouted Harry. The other man did the same, and their wands went flying toward opposite sides of the room. _ _

__The other man tackled him attempting to pin his arms behind him. Harry feinted left and put all of his force into moving right, knocking his prisoner off balance.The two men were locked in a brutal struggle their bodies pressed tight together as they struggled to subdue the other._ _

__“What in Merlin’s name is going on here! Who are you?” Robards shouted, jumping up from behind his desk._ _

__“Help me bind him!”_ _

__Robards was clearly confused so he quickly bound them both. Unfortunately, their close proximity upon casting meant that they were now tied together chest to knees, their legs intertwined._ _

__“It’s me sir! It’s a disguise!”_ _

__Robards cast a _Finite_ ending the glamour and Harry smugly looked down into the face of... Draco Malfoy. _ _

__“Harry! What the fuck! You just ruined an important operation you idiot! I’ve been posing as a buyer, I had a meeting with Oz tonight!”_ _

__“What are you talking about! I’ve been tracking him for weeks through underground channels and surveillance! I finally pinned him down and sent him a note arranging a drop tonight!”_ _

__“You sent that note to me you idiot!”_ _

__Their argument was interrupted by a very excited Dennis Creevey. “I caught Oz sir! He’s in holding downstairs!”_ _

__They all turned to look at him incredulously. “Well, all the drugs we confiscated were in bags from the same deli weren’t they? I just went over there and asked, turns out the owner has a son named Osmund and I—”_ _

__Harry began to laugh. They’d been working so hard to identify a complex pattern and outdo each other, they had totally ignored the obvious lead._ _

__“What?” Draco said still clearly irritated beyond all reason, tried to loosen the bonds tying him flush against Harry, “How is this funny?!”_ _

__Harry’s laughter became more hysterical the harder Draco tried to free himself._ _

__“WHAT?”_ _

__“It’s just—and Dennis caught— while I was tracking you—and—we caught each other!” Harry was laughing so hard he could barely breathe, tears beginning to leak from his eyes._ _

__As Harry spoke, Draco too began to laugh until they were both breathless, tied together on the floor as Robards stared down at them dumbfounded. He released them, their laughter beginning to slow as they tried to catch their breath._ _

__“Would you boys please pull yourselves together. You’ve clearly had a very long, very unproductive day. I suggest you call it a night and we’ll discuss this in the morning.”_ _

__He turned to leave, but then seemed to remember “Oh, by the way, Auror Bishop has decided not to retire, so his position is no longer available.”_ _

__Still on the floor, they both began laughing all over again at the absurdity of it. When they finally calmed enough to breathe Harry turned to Draco, “Good bust Draco, how ‘bout I take you out to celebrate?”_ _

__“Oh, I don’t know Potter, you managed to capture a very dangerous man. I ought to take _you_ out to celebrate.” _ _

__“I’ll pay for you, you pay for me?”_ _

__“Sounds good, but just so you know I’m ordering the most expensive thing on the menu.” Draco smiled and they both fell to laughing all over again._ _

__Maybe this assignment had turned out well after all._ _

**Author's Note:**

> So a few things, first of all, if anyone is curious, erisedicine, is just erised mashed together with medicine. In a longer plotline, it would have been explained that the drug temporarily suspended you in fantasy in your head that worked similar to the mirror of erised, letting you hallucinate living in a world of your deepest desires. 
> 
> Also, I was stuck and frustrated by this prompt for a while, UNTIL I saw a news article in which THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. One precinct in Detroit set up an undercover operation as drug dealers, and without communicating, and another precinct set up sting operation disguised as drug buyers. They ended up for the meeting and tried to arrest EACH OTHER. I literally died laughing, and this fic was born. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
